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AWARE Updates

Marine debris is choking marine life. Every year tens of thousands of marine animals and seabirds are killed and injured from eating or getting tangled up in our rubbish. Trash in the ocean threatens the survival of some of our most iconic marine animals.

Divers on the Solmar V liveaboard were visiting an isolated dive site some 300 miles south west of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico when they discovered an injured whale shark.

Here at Project AWARE, we like to call marine debris the “silent killer” – the trash from our everday lives that smothers ocean environments, ensnares and chokes marine species. Les Stroud, or the godfather of survival TV, is used to the silence and the sight of of debris from his professional career as the TV hit series Survivorman.

Shark Week, an annual ratings giant for the Discovery Channel every August, is already shaping up to be a shock-fest of new documentaries. But here at Project AWARE, we’re making shark protection a priority year-round so every week is Shark Week!

Ten weeks ago, Project AWARE began the search for 100 Finathon Champions and we found you! In just ten weeks, 154 Finathon Champions, 40 teams and 50 children under the age of 10 raised nearly $50,000 by swimming to end finning. Thank you!

Together, you swam nearly 600km, shaved your heads, swam in shark costumes and organized other creative events to show your passion for shark protection. And all with one jawesome goal - swimming to end finning.

The Malaysia International Dive Expo (MIDE) this July was a fantastic opportunity to meet AWARE supporters and thank them in person for their efforts to protect the ocean. Scuba Junkie shark expert Rohan Perkins presented at MIDE to help raise awareness for sharks. Rohan received Project AWARE funding through the Ocean Action Project in 2012 so I made a special trip to visit the Scuba Junkie team and check out their conservation programs.

Did you know that electricity is the biggest single source of carbon emissions in Britain? The absorption of carbon dioxide emissions by the ocean has a direct impact on marine ecosystems. The good news is reducing our carbon footprint can be as easy as making the switch to renewable energy.

Have you ever heard of a gal shaving her head on her birthday? In the name of shark protection? That’s just what Divemaster, Heather Murray did during Project AWARE’s global Finathon™ - smashing her fundraising target and raising more than $8000 to support sharks. We couldn’t be more inspired!

Two years ago, 14 divers from Project AWARE and PADI Asia Pacific braved the Australian winter chill to complete the very first Dive Against Debris at Shelley Beach, NSW, Australia. They removed and recorded a variety of marine debris including plastic bottles, plastic bags and fishing line – all the usual culprits. Since then, divers like you have reported data from more than 1,000 Dive Against Debris surveys.

Every day divers remove harmful rubbish from our ocean and beverage containers are one of the top items found during Dive Against Debris surveys around the world. It’s time to Kick the Can.

Australians have the opportunity to show their support for a national Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) – a 10c refundable deposit on beverage containers that will stop 80% of disposable containers entering the ocean and killing our precious marine life.

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Featured Member

Ocean Action Project winners Shark Guardian in Thailand continue their FINtastic shark conservation work, collecting information about shark sightings in Thailand and Indonesia in order to compile a comprehensive database about sharks in the region. They have also been on the road raising awareness about the importance of sharks in maintaining a healthy ocean planet. Great work!